Ray Rush is an American songwriter and record producer. After early collaborations with

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

and

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

, Rush moved into producing and promoting records of Texas musicians.

Music career

Rush's music career began while a student at

Odessa College Odessa College is a public junior college in Odessa, Texas. The college serves the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It was established in 1946 and enrolled 8,024 students in fall 2021 and 7,679 students in spring 2022 in its univ ...

, where he sang in a trio called the Roses, serving as a backup vocals on " Think It Over" by Buddy Holly in 1958. The Roses accompanied Holly and his band to New York in support of the song. Rush and the Roses sang backup vocals on other Crickets songs, such as " Wild One", ( aka, ' Real Wild Child '), in 1958. Rush was promotions manager of an early recording and publishing company formed by Holly, Prism Records. Rush introduced

Joe Melson Joe Melson (born May 11, 1935) is an American singer and a BMI Award-winning songwriter best known for his collaborations with Roy Orbison, including "Only the Lonely" and "Crying", which are both in the Grammy Hall of Fame and have both been inc ...

, one of Orbison's most important early collaborators. Rush co-wrote "Mama" in 1962 with Orbison. Rush was one of the founders of Zenith Productions. From 1966 to 1968, Zenith was in litigation with

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the S ...

in a contractual dispute over

B. J. Thomas Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his country, contemporary Christian, and pop hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Popular songs by Thomas include " Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), " Rain ...

. Zenith had recorded one of Thomas's early singles, and claimed contractual interference. Zenith settled in 1968 for $7,500, and Thomas signed with Scepter. In 1968, Rush was hired by

International Artists International Artists (IA) was an American independent record label based in Houston, Texas, United States, that originally existed from 1965 to 1970. It is not to be confused with International Artists Records, a classical music record label foun ...

to revamp their operation. Rush produced several

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

albums with International Artists in the late 1960s, including

The Thirteenth Floor Elevators The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, an ...

', '' Bull of the Woods'', and songs by

Bubble Puppy Bubble Puppy is an American psychedelic rock band originally active from 1967 to 1972. They are best remembered for their Top 20 hit, "Hot Smoke & Sasafrass". History Origins Bubble Puppy was formed in 1966 in San Antonio, Texas, by Rod Prince ...

in 1969. Rush produced records and also managed artists and repertoire with International.

Singles discography

*A: "So What" / B: "Can This Be Love" (1962) *A: "Lucky Star" / B: "A Hole in My Rockin' Shoes" (1963)Ingman, John
A.O.K.: Record Labels of West Texas & New Mexico

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Ray Living people Year of birth missing (living people)